1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cellular telephones and, more particularly, to a cellular phone having a special standby feature.
2. Description of Prior Art
As is well known, cellular phones have a POWER button and a SEND button. When the POWER button is in the OFF position, the cellular phone is inoperable and cannot receive incoming calls, nor can it transmit outgoing calls. On the other hand, when the POWER button is in the ON position, the cellular phone is in a stand by mode and can receive incoming calls and transmit outgoing calls by pressing the SEND button. As a side note, in the ON mode, the cellular phone also communicates with base stations to determine reception level, hand-offs, etc. In digital-based cellular system, a voice mail system is available such that when the cellular phone is in the OFF position, the caller may leave a message for the user. The received message is stored in a base station voice mail system.
Because of the convenience offered by cellular telephones, they practically become an essential tool for businessmen and other professionals. However, at times, cellular phones create a distraction. For example, when businessmen hold a meeting, each person has to make a decision whether to turn his cellular phone off or keep it on. On many occasions, the users cannot afford to turn the cellular phone off because of business or other needs. Thus, it often occurs that a meeting is disturbed by the ring of a cellular phone and the user having to answer it.
The present invention provides a solution to the above noted problem, by providing a SPECIAL standby mode. The invention can be implemented in various ways; however, the basic idea is to have the cellular phone automatically accept the call and to allow the user the opportunity to exit the meeting without having to answer the call and disturb the meeting. Another feature of the invention is to allow the user to make a decision a priory, as to which calls will get through and which will be referred to the voice mail system.